Are you concerned about your children getting cavities and needing fillings?
Or are you concerned about the lifelong implications that poor dental health has on your child’s overall health? Fillings can be difficult for young children and multiple fillings can give them dental anxiety for the future. Fillings don’t last forever and overtime, they may need bigger fillings and more complicated treatment.
Fissure sealants may be the solution for your child!
Fissure sealants are a safe and painless way of protecting your child’s teeth from tooth decay. It is a plastic, tooth coloured coating that covers the deep grooves (fissures) on the back teeth (usually the adult molars). The sealant forms a hard protective layer that keeps food and bacteria from getting into the grooves of these teeth; an area where the most tooth decay occurs.
A good time to apply these sealants is soon after the tooth erupts. After confirming with dental radiographs (x-rays) that the molars are decay free, the tooth is thoroughly cleaned and dried, and then a thin layer of the sealant is applied to cover all the grooves of the teeth. An ultra-violet light is then used to set the sealant.
Because the sealants are tooth coloured and applied to the back teeth, they cannot be seen when a child talks or smiles. They tend to last a few years, and our staff checks them at each dental visit, as they may need touching up or replacing over the years after being worn down.
Fissure sealants are one way of preventing tooth decay in children, but we can’t protect every single surface of the tooth. It is still vital that the teeth are brushed twice a day for 2 minutes with fluoride toothpaste!
Dental Tip: Fissure sealants may not be ideal for everyone, please speak to one of our team members to see if this treatment is suitable for your child.
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